NATPE STREAMING DAY 4: GAMING, THE GROWTH OF KOREN CONTENT, AND PROGRAMMING TACTICS

The final day of the digital event showcased discussions about the process of choosing programming that correlates with demand, how gaming has redefined consumption and the global growth of Korean content.

17 SEP 2020

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The fourth and final day of  the "NATPE Virtual Streaming Plus" event covered how programming is chosen to fit the needs of domestic and international audiences, how gaming has redefined programming distribution and overall consumption, and the international spike of successful Korean content.

Chief Digital & Marketing Officer of PBS Ira Rubenstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Revry Damian Pelliccione, and  Chief Content Officer, UMC TV (AMC Networks)  Brett Dismuke, detailed how they have selected and pushed out programming in a way that drives audiences to engage with them. Pelliccione highlighted the importance of representation in the production crew as well as the creatives, along with authenticity for storytelling. He hinted at a future Samsung move that will shift both, the domestic and the international market. He mentioned that the current global efforts being put forth by Revry with cultural-related global feed, increasing ad inventory, and revenue possibilities.

Dismuke explained that productions that were supposed to start when the pandemic began in March were delayed. Some of them added additional content, while others remain delayed, and others have already begun. Since many content creators have produced content that reflects the pandemic to reflect the reality of the world in front of the screen, there will be additional internal programming changes for UMC TV for the 2021 season.  

Doug Scott, Co-Founder, Subnation, talked about how gaming is shifting viewership behaviors and programming plans, expressing that big consumer brands are being introduced. Various professional sports owners drive into esports to satisfy a younger audience, providing access brands that are engaging with esports to build affinity, a “next-generation tv” through posts, media platforms, etc. 

In the gaming industry, placing is so selective and diverse. The convergence of culture reflected on the screen is driving massive viewership, such as the gaming Livestream with Lil Yachty. Physical and digital conversations between fans and producers have led to commerce. Despite lockdowns, the business industry's production force during the pandemic is still active throug the use of controlled live events. Many leagues that had sports in a digital mirror such as NBA, NBA 2k, FIFA, along with advertisers, are seeking to buy esports content to secure their future throughout covid and post-period. The way the teams are structured, along with their diverse titles, they have had to diversify

Social media has been integrated into the business model, opening doors for many partnerships in the gaming industry, such as Comcast’s decision to build esports programming, Instagram, Urban Mile releasing a line of Gaming Chairs, and Ikea partnering for gaming equipment and furniture as well. Both mainstream brands, as well as luxury brands like Louis Vuitton are initiating partnerships relating to the industry.  Lifestyle content is prominent in the market, a whole new market, helping the 185 billion dollar industry shift demographics, with more female gamers than ever. Business wells are increasingly surrounding streaming, and the forced acceleration of the digital world has created more media-driven businesses.

Product Marketing Manager, Korea Content Platform Justine McKay, Founder of Wild Sheep Content Erik Barmack and President of Smart Dog Media and Executive Producer & Creator, Craig Plestis discussed the Korean content industry and its international growth. The genre will receive exposure at MIPCOM 2020, including special recognition for its fast global TV and film success. 

Plestis explained that he was introduced into the Korean landscaped by meeting with several broadcasters. He's working on forming unique formats as opposed to that of similar existing ones in the market. Barmack initiated production for the genre in Mexico and expanded to 100 productions per year. Data began to indicate that Asian content had the same potential for global viewership as Western content. Pelestis believes the determining factors that are driving Korean content’s success is that it is serving the need for foreign and unique formats, but still adapting to the region it is catering to. McKay contributes to KAKAO, which helps build interest in Korean content.  benefits the company to attract an audience when it offers services that stand out from content originated in the region. The demographics that have stood out for Korean content indicate that the US and Canada, are among the most viewed countries. Within US cities, the largest cities are Houston, Miami, New York, Chicago, etc. 9% of the audience is Non-Korean, including Americans, Brazilians, and other varying nationalities.

Seeking the opposing style of storytelling from that of Western and Eastern regions, consumers’ decision to rewatch classics is a behavior that has resulted in additional monetization for the company. According to both Mckay and Plestis, listening and engaging with the audience of both, the producer and the writers, is one of the most crucial parts of success for the Eastern content.  Barmack believes the streamers’ desire to bring ideas to producers brings an advantage. The company is currently attempting to become the first Stephen King adaptation that is not in the English language. In terms of consumption, he believes the distribution of broader platforms will attract larger audiences than domestic platforms.  The audiences love to compare and contrast content that is being released from different platforms. 

50% of the broadband markets in the world are in Asia, but that differs the demographics from global streamers. As a result of this, Korean content penetration is expected to intensify. The difference between Korea Content Platform and Vicki is that Korea Content Platform is an add-on to cicki and has its demo of solely Korean content, offering a variety of free and paid subscriptions with additions of 300-500 hours per month. Distributed across 34 communities, Korean content is known to reflect similar cultural and family values from that of many regions in the world. The panelists believe more conferences and panels will assist in attracting the audience to the content, as well as the status of the market.